North Georgia Technical College Instructor to the Rescue
contributed by Adie
Shimandle for the TCSG
Foundation Newsletter

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED
THAT AN EF4 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 175 MPH OCCURRED IN CATOOSA
COUNTY. IT TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 813 PM EDT WEDNESDAY
EVENING TRAVELING THROUGH RINGGOLD TO NORTHWEST OF COHUTTA AND
INTO TENNESSEE AROUND 828 PM EDT. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 13 MILES
WITH A WIDTH OF ONE THIRD OF A MILE.75 TO 100 HOMES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. ONLY EIGHT
EF4/F4 TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED IN GEORGIA SINCE 1950.

The above alert from the National Weather Services
greeted residents of North Georgia as the sun rose on April 28,
2011. Destruction, despair and shock embraced all who took stock
of the grim reality facing their communities.Damage was widespread, from a series of more than 700
tornadoes that marched across five southern states, killing or
injuring more than 1,000 people. Through this time of despair,
strangers from areas untouched by this tragedy came to the
rescue of their fellow Georgians and became every-day heroes.

Such is the story of North Georgia Technical College CTD
manager/instructor Bruce Lane.Once the news media moved on to the next story, Bruce
knew that residents of Walker, Catoosa, Dade and Spalding
Counties might be forgotten while their every-day struggles
would only multiply.

He reached out to the students, fellow instructors and staff at
NGTC to collect practical items that would be needed for
activities of daily living.Items such as paper plates, diapers, Ziploc bags, gloves,
trash bags, tarps, toys, and food were donated from concerned
citizens who knew they could easily have been victims on that
long night of fear.Over the Memorial Day holiday, Bruce forfeited his leisure time
and hauled a truck load of supplies to Gainesville, were items
were bundled with other donations and delivered to North
Georgians in need.

As a system, we’ve always known that we have some of the
brightest minds and most capable instructors working at our
colleges, complemented with determined students and dedicated
staff. We can add “biggest hearts” to the long list of
adjectives that describe who we are as a system and what we do
for the citizens of Georgia.

Going Back to School
in Style!
Giving up their Saturday, Cosmetology students from North
Georgia Technical College performed in style, giving 64 Stephens
County elementary, middle, and high school students a quick trim
for the start of the new school year.
Participating in the Back to School Bash in downtown Toccoa,
Cosmetology instructors Tammy Andrews and Arlene Speed brought a
cadre of 16 skilled students to provide free services to
children who are headed back to school. “They all worked very
hard,” said Ms. Andrews. “They were outstanding
representatives for NGTC.”
The Cosmetology program at NGTC emphasizes specialized hands-on
training in a variety of areas including safety and sanitation;
state laws, rules, and regulations; hair styling and coloring,
salon sales and management, and much more. In addition,
the faculty look for a variety of opportunities for live work
serving the public both in the campus Salon and through
participation in special events such as the Back to School Bash.

“It is a joy for us to watch our students work with these
children,” continued Andrews. “We strive to help our
students gain the skill and self-assurance to walk into a salon
and go straight to work with confidence. This was an
opportunity for the students to grow their self-confidence and
help the children at the same time!”

Shawn Wilson
Appointed NGTC Campus Police Chief
After an extensive search, Shawn Wilson from Rabun County has
been appointed as Campus Police Chief at North Georgia Technical
College.
Chief Wilson will serve in the leadership position for the
Campus Police Department, working with all three campuses of the
college. In addition to directing and supervising the
officers on staff. In addition, he will oversee programs for
campus safety, fire prevention, fire prevention equipment,
campus parking, and records of hazardous materials.
Just a few minutes with Shawn will reveal his patriotism as well
as his passion for law enforcement. Right out of high
school he joined the National Guard. “I was trying to get
to Desert Storm,” he said. “I missed it, because it was
such as short war – and that’s a good thing. But I was
hooked on the profession, so I stayed in the service.”
Along with his military experience, Wilson has served with both
the Rabun County Sherriff’s office as well as the Clayton Police
force. In addition, he has held the ranks of Assistant
Commander for the Northeast Georgia Drug Task Force for
Habersham, Banks, and Rabun; Jail Administrator as a Major with
Rabun County; and Police Advisor for the State Department for
three and a half years in Iraq.
“I’ve been in some exciting places, and I’m looking forward to
working in a college environment,” he said.
A native of Rabun County, Wilson lives in Clayton with his wife,
Nellie, and their three children: Wyatt age 11, Phelan age
8, and newborn Blaze.
For more information on programs of study at NGTC, visit
xerxes.northgatech.edu or
call 706-754-7700.

Cross Country Runners
Sign With NGTC
As a new member of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association
(GCAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association
(NJCAA) for Cross Country sports, North Georgia Technical
College signed its first four athletes for the Fall 2011 season.
All four runners competed admirably for their high school teams,
and Coach Bob Roller has great expectations for this new
venture. “These runners have performed impressively during
their High School careers,” said Coach Roller. “Both Blake
and Sherri ran for me at East Jackson. I’m really looking
forward to working with Steven and Eli.”
Eli Ruiz-Mendoza from Rabun County, Sherri Blalock and Blake
Albright both from East Jackson, and Steven Ortega from White
County have agreed to run on the inaugural NGTC team which will
host its first meet on Friday, September 2, on the Colonel
Benjamin H. Purcell Trail on the Clarkesville Campus of the
college.
For the women’s team, Ms. Ruiz-Mendoza and Ms. Blalock took on
the oppressive heat and sun during the first official workout
this week.
Eli has enrolled in the Technical Studies program to accumulate
her general college core classes with an eye toward pursuing a
law degree in the future. She and her family, parents
Javier and Delfina, brother Francisco, and sister Marisela live
in Clayton. Eli’s coach at Rabun County was Beth Horn.
Sherri will be studying in the Commercial Photography program at
NGTC. With her at the signing were parents Miranda and
John, sister Kelli, Nana Linda Blalock, and grandfather Loy
Reed.
For the men’s team, Mr. Albright and Mr. Ortega easily completed
the grueling 8K run before a weight-room workout on Monday.
Both have registered for classes in the Applied Business
Technology program.
Blake graduated from East Jackson High School in 2010, and was
accompanied to the signing by his parents, Chris and Melissa,
and his friend Megan Abercrombie.
Steven graduated from White County High School in 2008, running
for Coach Sutton. He is looking forward to getting back
into competitive running. A resident of Cleveland,
Steven’s parents Sherry and Larry Morse and sister Jessica
Ortega also live in White County.
The September meet has attracted much attention and colleges
accepting the invitation include Brenau University,
Chattahoochee Technical College, Gordon College, Piedmont
College, Point University, Toccoa Falls College, and Truett-McConnell
College.
For more information on cross country events at NGTC, contact
Sandra Maughon at 706-754-7852 or smaughon@northgatech.edu.

Deal Announces $1
Million Grant, Complete College Georgia Initiative
8/8/2011 -
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that
Georgia is one of 10 states to be awarded $1 million by Complete
College America to fuel policy innovations and reforms aimed at
significantly increasing college completion. In conjunction with
this grant, Deal also introduced his Complete College Georgia
Initiative.
"By 2018, more than 60 percent of job openings in Georgia will
require some form of postsecondary education. To meet this
demand, we must increase the number of students with access to
higher education and ensure that these students graduate with
postsecondary degrees in a timely manner," Deal said. "My
Complete College Georgia Initiative provides concrete steps to
address both access and completion. We know this problem is
significant: Less than a quarter of full-time students at
two-year colleges ever graduate and only 44 percent at four-year
colleges get their degree within six years. We also know the
problem is fixable."
The governor's plan prescribes the following strategies:
-- Development of comprehensive system-wide and campus-level
completion plans
· By Jan. 1, the University System of Georgia and
the Technical College System of Georgia must submit
comprehensive system-wide completion plans to the governor.
· By July 1, each USG and TCSG institution must
submit comprehensive campus-level completion plans to the
governor.
-- Restructuring of select TCSG programs
· By fall 2012, at least five TCSG programs must be
restructured to better support students who work while attending
college.
-- Seamless Education System
· Work with Chancellor Hank Huckaby, Commissioner
Ron Jackson, the Board of Regents and the board of the Technical
College System of Georgia to ensure that the higher education
system in Georgia is a seamless system that allows students to
transfer with ease in order to complete their postsecondary
educations
-- Improvement in remediation as a part of the $1 million
Complete College America grant
· Two USG institutions, College of Coastal Georgia
and Georgia Gwinnett College, and two TCSG institutions, Athens
Technical College and DeKalb Technical College, will pilot
innovative remediation programs.
· It will implement technology-based diagnostic
assessments to determine level of remediation required for each
student, modularize remediation coursework to allow students to
work at an individualized pace, allow students to simultaneously
enroll in college-level courses and diagnostic-based learning
support, and increase opportunities for student success and
skill supports.
· Successful aspects of these pilot programs will
then be scaled to USG and TCSG institutions across the state.
-- Creation of a needs-based scholarship program
· This program will identify low-income middle
school students with college potential and provide them with
support through high school. Students who complete the program
will receive a tuition scholarship.
· The governor's staff will look at successful
programs, including Cartersville's GateKey Scholarship Program,
as models for this needs-based scholarship.
· Deal is aggressively pursuing private partners to
assist with seed funding.
-- Formation of the Higher Education Finance Commission
· In the coming week, Deal will issue an executive
order creating a commission that will focus on higher education
funding, particularly examining ways to change the funding
formula to incentivize completion.
Georgia is one of 10 states to win the $1 million Completion
Innovation Challenge grant. Thirty-three states applied for the
18-month implementation grants for innovative, high-impact
college completion initiatives designed to enhance student
success and close attainment gaps for traditionally
underrepresented populations. Georgia's application focused on
restructuring remediation programs. Complete College America
received funding support for the grants from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation.
"Gov. Deal gets it: Doing more of the same will not boost
student success or get Georgia the additional college graduates
it must have to be competitive," said Complete College America
President Stan Jones. "Georgia's innovative pilot program
promises to significantly increase college completion, saving
students precious time and money - and giving taxpayers more of
what they expect from their hard-earned investments in higher
education: college graduates," added Jones.
The Complete College Georgia Initiative is an important piece of
Deal's broader Georgia Competitiveness Initiative.

Citizens South Bank
Makes Contribution to North Georgia Technical College
Foundation, Inc.

8/8/2011 —
Citizens South Bank announced today that the Citizens South Bank
Fund (part of the Community Foundation of Gaston County, Inc.)
made a $15,000.00 contribution to the North Georgia Technical
College Foundation, Inc. The contribution will allow North
Georgia Technical College (NGTC) to continue with their growth
plans and add much needed classroom and laboratory space at
their Blairsville Campus.
"We are proud to be an active corporate citizen in Blairsville
as well as the surrounding communities in north Georgia,"
commented Kim S. Price, President/CEO, Citizens South Bank. "The
partnership of Citizens South Bank with North Georgia Technical
College is one way we can contribute and help meet the on-going
educational needs that North Georgia Technical College provides
to residents in the immediate and surrounding counties. At
Citizens South Bank, part of our mission statement says we will
deliver value for our Communities by enhancing quality of life.
We feel that this contribution is true to our mission," Mr.
Price continued.
When asked about the donation, NGTC President Steve Dougherty
said, “We want to thank the Citizens South Foundation for its
generous donation of $15,000 for the addition to the Blairsville
Campus. The gift shows the commitment the bank has to
education and meeting the needs of the communities it serves.
This private donation will be used for pre-design requirements
and, in conjunction with public support for the project, gives
added emphasis to the importance of additional classroom and lab
space on the Blairsville Campus to accommodate the growing
number of students enrolled in our quality programs.
The facility will enhance the educational experience of all of
our students and allows for growth in the allied medical and
other programs that prepare our graduates for jobs. The
laboratory will also give Blairsville students seeking associate
degrees the opportunity to enroll in courses on campus like
biology and chemistry that now require them to drive to the
Clarkesville Campus. We look forward to the project’s approval
by the Legislature and an official groundbreaking in the near
future.”
About Citizens South Bank
Citizens South Bank was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in
Gastonia, NC. Deposits are FDIC insured up to applicable
regulatory limits. As of March 31, 2011, the bank had $1.1
billion in assets with 21 full-service offices in the Charlotte
and North Georgia regions. Citizens South Bank is an Equal
Housing Lender and Member, FDIC. The Bank is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Citizens South Banking Corporation, and shares of
the common stock of the Company trade on the NASDAQ Global
Market under the ticker symbol “CSBC”. The Bank maintains
a website at www.citizenssouth.com that includes information on
the Holding Company, along with a list of products and services,
branch locations, current financial information, and links to
the Holding Company’s filings with the SEC.

Town Hall Meeting on Soft Skills in Education to be
Held at NGTC

The Governor’s Workforce Development Town Hall Series on Soft
Skills in Education will host The Governor’s Workforce
Development Town Hall Meeting on Soft Skills in Education. This
series of 31 public town hall meetings allows Georgians, most
importantly our students, parents, business leaders, and
Georgia’s professional educators, to be a part of the
establishment of a statewide certification in soft skills such
as punctuality, ability to learn, appropriate business attire,
and ability to work as a team for Georgia’s schools.

Governor Deal signed House Bill 186 into law on May 13, 2011.
This important legislation authorizes The Governor’s Office of
Workforce Development to establish certification in soft skills
such as punctuality, ability to learn, appropriate business
attire, and ability to work as a team.

This certification will complement the current assessment system
utilized in Georgia to assess knowledge in applied math, reading
for information, and locating information. Upon graduation,
student would have both a diploma and certification in soft
skills and work readiness.

These meetings will unite Georgia as we work to establish an
effective set of soft skills to ensure that our emerging
workforce is prepared to achieve success in the workplace.

Executive Director Melvin Everson of the Governor’s Office of
Workforce Development will host the panel on stage to engage
with the public on this important initiative.

Panel members will include: representatives from the Department
of Education, The host Technical College, The Georgia Department
of Labor, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, The
Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia PTA, The local Chamber
of Commerce, local business owners, the local Superintendent
of Schools, The local School Board Chair, the local Mayor, the
chair of the County Commission, the state Senator, and the state
Representative.

“The number one priority of my Administration is to create jobs
for Georgia. These important Town Halls will establish a
synergy for our great educational system to partner with our
business community to prepare Georgia students to enter the
workforce with those vital social skills necessary in the 21st
Century workplace,” said Governor Deal.

All Town Halls begin at 6:30pm and each will last 1.5 hours. The
format will include a welcome by our host, an orientation
presentation by Director Melvin Everson and a presentation by
the Department of Education on the importance of soft skills.
Following the presentation Director Everson will moderate
questions and comments from the audience for the panel.

Each session will be videotaped and hosted on The Governor’s
Office of Workforce Development social media sites. You will be
provided the links to host meetings on your social media sites.

Student Success is
Central to NGTC8/11/2011 -
“Our success is directly linked to our students’ successes,”
commented North Georgia Technical College President Steve
Dougherty. “This college enjoys a great reputation in this
area as a direct result of how well our graduates perform on the
job.”
For the last several years, free tutoring sessions have been
available to all students at NGTC. Beginning with the Fall
Semester on August 22, the services will be further expanded
with the implementation of Student Success Centers on all three
campuses.
“We use a variety of techniques based on the learner’s needs and
on the subject matter,” said General Studies Department Chair
and Math Instructor Laura Jenkins. “Whether it is
one-on-one, small groups, or dedicated time on special software,
the Student Success Centers will try to help everyone
Popular subjects for tutoring are algebra, writing, biology,
anatomy, and chemistry.
As the tutoring labs expand, the need for staff is also
increasing. The Student Success Centers are run with a mix
of student workers, volunteers, and paid tutors. The hours
of the Centers will be set based on student need and tutor
availability.
The college is now accepting inquiries from the community for
ways to become involved either as a volunteer or as a paid
tutor. For more information on working with the Student
Success Centers at NGTC, contact Laura Jenkins at 706-754-7746
or
ljenkins@northgatech.edu.

(L-R)
Melissa Woodall and Erin
Arrendale are new team members
of
the NGTC Financial Aid
Department.

NGTC’s Financial Aid Team Readies for
Fall
8/11/2011 - Financial Aid is one of the first considerations for many
people considering a college education. Finding out about
the options available is now a little easier at North Georgia
Technical College, thanks to the addition of Melissa Woodall and
Erin Arrendale to the team.
Over the years, tens of thousands of students throughout Georgia
have been able to enroll in the state’s technical colleges and
receive an exceptional technical education through the HOPE
program. The HOPE Grant, in particular, has helped to train many
Georgians who attended the 26 colleges of the Technical College
System of Georgia and have become a vital part of Georgia’s
world-class, 21st Century workforce.
Ms. Woodall and Ms. Arrendale joined the staff in early July as
part of the college’s continued efforts to give the best
customer service to students. “With the recent changes to
the HOPE program, we have developed new options for financing a
college education,” said Director of Financial Aid Kim Kelley.
“We know there are a lot of folks out there worried about how
much college is going to cost next year, and we are doing
everything we can to help them through the process.”
Melissa and her family recently moved back to Habersham County
from South Dakota in May. “It was because of the weather,”
she admitted smiling. A graduate of Black Hills State
University with a BS in Business Administration, Economic
Finance, she is familiar with the college environment having
worked at Black Hills as an Administrative Assistant. She
and her husband, Robert, have three children: Mysti,
Joshua, and Dakota and are expecting their first grandchild in
August.
Erin and her husband, David, also live in Habersham and they
have two children. Erin holds a BA in Political Science
from North Georgia College and State University. She has
worked at Gainesville College as an Academic Advisor and most
recently at Clarkesville Library.
Ironically, Melissa and Erin had met at the Clarkesville Library
before both were hired at NGTC. “It was almost like they
came in as a team,” said Kelley. “I’m grateful to have
Melissa and Erin on board. They have great potential and
great people skills.”
For more information on Financial Aid options at NGTC, visit
xerxes.northgatech.edu or
call 706-754-7700.